Across the Great Divide
by Kihin Ranno
Summary: -COMPLETE- Although it would not last long and those present would never speak of it again, for the briefest of moments on a rooftop in downtown Tokyo, three Senshi reached out to one who they thought understood and breeched the great divide.


Across the Great Divide  
1/1  
by Kihin Ranno  
PG-13

Aino Minako wandered down the busy streets of the Juuban district of Tokyo with a rather unbecoming expression on her face. Normally, she was quite cognizant of the fact that a frown was never a good look to have on one's face when one was on a constant quest to find the perfect boyfriend. However, it seemed that she had unknowingly abandoned that search for the time being.

Although, it would have given her something to occupy her time seeing as she was bored out of her skull.

The lonely blonde let out a long suffering sigh, readjusting her oversized white bag on her pale shoulder. She had woken up on that bright Sunday morning fully expecting to partake in the normal Sailor Senshi shopping trip. They would meet at the usual spot, the fountain in front of the mall. They would all try on clothes they couldn't hope to buy for the fun of it. Usagi would lament at her lack of funds which would cause Rei to chastise her for spending all of her money at the arcade. Ami would drag them into a bookstore in a feeble attempt to broaden their horizons. Makoto would spend much of the excursion sighing dreamily as one man after the other, none of whom even remotely resembled each other, passed by and proclaim that they all resembled her mysterious sempai. Of course, the whole thing would end with them not having spent a single penny on anything except for the ice cream they bought at the little café. There they would talk about everything and nothing until they had to get home.

She had been looking forward to the one part of their lives that had grown into something of a routine. It was a welcome respite from the sudden battles, the foreboding Silence, and the wars with the women who were supposed to be their allies.

Unfortunately, someone had seen to it that Minako's hopes had been dashed at the very last minute. It had taken Minako exactly one hour to get ready that morning. She had received a call from each of the other girls every fifteen minutes, each with a different reason for why they couldn't go that day.

Yuuichirou had been subjected to an unexpected family emergency. Rei had ranted that some rich relative of his had probably dropped dead and there was a sudden dispute over his or her funds. But that was largely due in part to their recent discovery about the extent of the Kamadas' wealth and the lack of donation to the shrine. The other half of her discontent could be attributed to the fact that Rei was now stuck with his chores.

Then Ami had called, completely panicked. Minako had thought for a moment that something horrible had happened like her father had died or her mother had just been attacked by a monster, but it turned out to be something far less dire. Ami had realized at some time that morning that she was behind in one of her classes. Of course, this meant that Ami was now learning at the same rate as the others, and that was simply out of the question. Thus, the exasperating genius had begged off, apologizing profusely and sounding quite guilty about the whole thing.

Usagi had been roped into spending the day with Chibi-Usa by Ikuko. Normally, the pink haired sprite would have just accompanied the group to the mall, but it seemed that the little girl's interests were not in shopping. Minako would have bet some serious money that the future mother and daughter had spent at least an hour arguing about the subject until Ikuko intervened in favor of the youngster's behalf. Of course, Minako wasn't sure what they were doing, but it probably involved bothering Mamoru.

And then there had been Makoto's excuse, which in Minako's opinion was the most ridiculous of the four. The brunette had pretty much recovered from her rather frightening obsession with improving her skills as a Senshi. Still, it seemed that some residual doubts remained. She had caught wind of a new dojo opening up on the other side of town. Of course, Makoto couldn't put off checking it out one moment. Minako hadn't even finished saying good-bye before the perfectly capable girl had hung up on her.

And so, Minako was left to find some perfectly marvelous way to amuse herself on this most perfect of days. It was really ridiculous that they had ALL abandoned her to her own devices that day. She could understand one of them, maybe two. But all four?

Really, what were the odds?

The blonde blew a wayward lock of her golden hair out of her eyes and continued walking, considering her options. She could, of course, go shopping without them. But she had never liked doing things like that on her own. Besides, she never actually bought anything, so there really wasn't a point in trying on weird clothes just for her own delight.

She had considered helping Rei, but had decided against it. The shrine maiden had anticipated any one of the girls thinking of canceling the shopping trip and forbidden it. Of course, that could be mostly because Rei had stopped trusting Usagi with a broom some time ago. But she'd probably turn Minako away on sight, and frankly, the blonde didn't feel like arguing.

There was the option of studying...

Minako laughed out loud at that thought, attracting some attention from some pedestrians passing by. Studying? On a perfect day like this? Studying at all? Really, the idea was ludicrous. How could something like that have even crossed her mind?

She wiped away an errant tear of mirth, shaking her head slightly as the last of her chuckles died in her throat. She mulled over her other options, which involved either elbowing into a family outing or tracking down Makoto on the other side of town. Neither prospect seemed particularly enticing, especially the first. Not only did she despise being the fourth wheel, but if Usagi and Chibi-Usagi chose to get in an argument, Mamoru would feel obligated to make conversation with her...

Which would just be weird because they had never actually HAD a conversation.

Minako paused, leaning up against a rare tree by the side of the street. She pursed her lips into a cute pout, realizing that no one who needed to see the expression was actually there, but feeling the need to do it anyway. It was simply a crime against humanity that a young girl of her caliber should be alone on a gorgeous day that almost rivaled the beauty of her face and her personality.

Almost.

Minako pushed her bangs up with her left hand and let out another sigh, gazing up into the sky as if it could give her a suggestion for how to pass the time. Of course, she was sorely disappointed. She was only greeted with a cheerful sun, a cloudless sky, a few birds flying home to their nest, and a winged daimon with a drill poking out of its head leaping over a space between two buildings across the street.

Nope, looking at the sky was useless. Perhaps the ground would provide her with a better answer.

Minako blinked. Several times. Then she gasped and looked up again, pushing herself off the tree. She was greeted by the sight of the three mysterious Senshi known as Uranus, Neptune and Pluto making chase after the daimon.

Well, they weren't really that mysterious. She did know who they were after all. And she was well aware of their mission statement and that they seemed to be loathe to associate themselves with Sailor Venus or her teammates. Still, there was something about them that just seemed to scream "mysterious" as well as a flashing neon sign would have done. Granted, that would completely defeated the mysteriousness, but even so.

The blonde shook her head vigorously, ceasing her inner ramblings. Her long blonde hair flew around her head dynamically, smacking into a perfectly innocent passerby. She didn't notice him glaring at her as she gazed up onto the rooftop, her fists clenched and trembling. Her gaze was set into fixed determination as she looked around for a place to transform.

Useless was she? And weak? And incompetent? And not worthy to lick the respective boots of the Sailor Senshi from the outer planets?

Well, with the three women saying things like that, did they really expect that Minako wouldn't thirst to prove them wrong?

Seeing no other option, Minako relied heavily on the citizens' tendency to purposefully not see what was going on around them and ducked behind the tree. Several seconds later, she emerged from the other side, dressed in bright colored fuku that did garner some attention. She ignored the appreciative glances and ran forward, desperate to reach that distant roof. She would show the rest of those Senshi what she was made of.

Venus was not a fan of feeling inadequate. After all, she was the one who had spent a year on her own in London. She had operated as Sailor V then, and she had not only handled the earliest dregs of the Dark Kingdom, but real criminals as well. Yes, a grenade had gotten the best of her, but she had known enough to save her life as the building came crashing down around her ears. She was perfectly capable of protecting herself, her princess, and her friends. Just like she was perfectly capable of helping to stop the Silence and kick some major ass along the way.

And she was quite insulted that the newest Senshi did not share the sentiment.

Venus leapt forward, clearing the length of the street easily. As usual, she inadvertently disrupted traffic, but at least she didn't cause any accidents this time. She landed on the hood of an exceptionally familiar yellow convertible, and used it as a spring board without the slightest hint of regret. She even pushed of it a little harder than necessary, smirking when she saw the dent she left behind.

She landed lightly on her feet, her heels not even making noise on the concrete of the rooftop. It wouldn't have mattered of course. Sailors Neptune, Pluto, and Uranus were far too engrossed in attempting to beat back the newest daimon into oblivion to pay her any attention. Even so, Venus kept herself out of side for the time being, lying in wait for the perfect opportunity to swoop in and save the day.

Of course, she wasn't exactly sure how she was going to go about doing this, but that was really a minor detail in the grand scheme of things.

Venus studied the monster with an appreciative eye. She had to admit, this daimon did seem tough to beat. It had wings on its feet that gave it speed unnatural for its breed. It had a swirling drill protruding from its head that seemed to be able to adjust lengths when at will. There were also rather large spikes coming out of its back, knees, and wristbands. It would be next to impossible to hold onto the thing with one's bare hands. It was dressed in a rather garish ensemble of bright pink and day glow orange, but it wasn't the worst outfit she had seen.

All in all, it wouldn't be an easy daimon to beat. It seemed that her comrades of sorts were finding that out the hard way. Even the self proclaimed wind demon among them, Sailor Uranus, was having a hard time keeping up. She was naturally quite frustrated that it was too dangerous to land a punch and tried to settle with blasting the thing to bits.

The tallest Sailor Senshi threw her hand aloft. Amber light that seemed to be a tainted version of the sort Venus wielded, gathered in her palm. Rays of the same color escaped through the crevices in her fist, causing Venus to have to turn away slightly. Uranus threw the ball of energy down onto the concrete with disdain. It smashed into the ground, speeding towards the excitable youma as it tore up the rooftop.

Venus watched with keen interest as the World Shaking flew towards the daimon... and laughed quietly as it stepped out of the way. The attack wound up hitting the edge of the building, exploding harmlessly and causing a shower of debris to rain down on the innocent pedestrians below.

Uranus cursed, actually stamping her foot. Of course, the gesture didn't seem as childish when she did it, but Venus couldn't help but think that maybe they weren't as different as they thought they were. "Damn it! That thing's too fast!"

Pluto glanced over at Uranus, her eyes narrowed in what might have been a glare. Venus wasn't sure. It was next to impossible to read the Time Guardian in any situation.

Scratch that. It was wholly impossible.

The crimson eyed loner leapt forward, throwing herself into the fray. The monster regarded her with rather bored disinterest, but it had some difficulty dodging the Senshi. Sailor Pluto brought her staff down on its head, feeling no need to shout a battle cry for emphasis. She did miss for the most part, but she managed to graze what might have been its ear. The daimon cried out in pain, clutching its head and glaring at the three assembled warriors.

She landed, the sound of her boots clashing with the pavement echoing around them. The dark warrior wasted no time in continuing the assault. She swung the heavy Staff around with unsurprising ease, her face contorting into what quickly became a frustrated glare.

The daimon continued to prove that it was hard to catch. Out of what could have been a possible twenty-seven hits, Sailor Pluto landed exactly two.

The daimon roared, sounding rather like a feeble lion, and dipped its head. It dragged one of its feet back against the ground several times, drawing attention to the fact that its feet rather resembled cloven hooves. Then it rushed forward, the horn on its head spiraling to a deadly point.

Sailor Pluto jumped up and above its head, but it didn't stop running. The daimon kept moving, barreling towards Sailor Neptune with a determined snarl. The green and blue woman seemed slightly surprised at this development, having been watching earnestly, searching for its weak point. She took too long in trying to move out of the way. As a result, the monster ended up clipping her forearm.

Predictably, Uranus was at her side in an instant, her dark eyes wide with worry. She hovered over the smaller woman anxiously, but Neptune showed no sign of discomfort or pain. She remained steady as ever, her wavy hair blowing elegantly in the wind. She glared at the daimon as it spun around, possibly to run at them again. She shook her head and muttered, "This has been going on for an hour. We need to get this thing to stand still."

Venus grinned. She knew her cue when she heard it.

"Leave that to me!" the vivacious blonde cried, catching the attention of the other Senshi. They were quite surprised to see her, but Sailor Venus paid that little mind. Instead, she called upon her most frequently used attack, rising several feet into the air. Her power surged around her, coming to form into a gleaming chain at her command. Then she hit the ground again, throwing her arm forward and the metal links along with it. She narrowed her eyes and called out the familiar words, rather needlessly as she could command her magic without using them anymore.

"VENUS LOVE-ME CHAIN!"

The chain spiraled out from her outstretched hand, arcing towards the daimon at the appropriate speed. Rather astonishingly, the monster was unable to outrun her attack, possibly because it was still focused on Uranus and the others. The golden chain looped around its middle. Venus pulled it taught with practiced skill, pinning its arms to its sides before it was fully away of what was happening. It let out an indignant screech as it realized that it had been captured.

Venus paid the creature no mind and tightened the chain's hold on the daimon. She bent her knees, bracing herself for the possible backlash the monster might have in store for her. It merely writhed within the metal, yielding no results in its feeble attempts at escape. Still, it was only a matter of time before it finally got the idea to fling the girl to the other side of the roof, in which case she probably would have been ridiculed for her incompetence.

Venus's improved her hold on her shining weapon as she dug her heels into the ground. Bound and determined not to be humiliated, she narrowed her eyes and whipped her head in the direction of those who should have been her allies. She raised both eyebrows expectantly and tapped her foot in what must have been an incredibly infuriating manner.

"Any day now, ladies."

The three of them blanched at her words and exchanged a glance. A graceful shrug was shared by the three of them before they turned to face the creature. Neptune remained where she was while Uranus and Pluto jumped to opposite sides of the daimon, effectively surrounded it.

Venus watched as Uranus once again called upon the same power that was made from the element of wind. She found that somewhat unexpected given its name and the way it tore up the earth. Then the turbulent, graceful seas rose up around the curvaceous body of Sailor Neptune, forming another sphere between her hands. They rose at her command, manipulated at will in a way that must have made even the infallible Sailor Mercury envious. And the chilling mists of time swirled around Pluto as she whispered an attack made all the more terrifying as it was meant to be shrieked.

"WORLD SHAKING!"

"DEEP SUBMERGE!"

"Dead scream."

Venus chuckled slightly. It was really quite anticlimactic when one thought about it.

The three balls of orange, aquamarine, and maroon-black light turned on their own skewed axes as they raced for the trapped monster. It stared at the three of them in utter shock and disbelief and then craned its neck to look at Venus. In spite of the way the shadows flitted across its face, partially obscuring its looks, Venus could tell what the monster was asking her for.

It was begging for mercy in the end, unrepentant as it did not understand the concept of guilt. However, it realized that the grim reaper was preparing to embrace it for eternity, and they all feared the end.

As far as she new, creatures from the underworld had no religion unless it was self serving and vile. They had no understanding of the afterlife. They might not even fully grasp the idea of death. They were brainless, pitiable things that had been created solely for the purpose of destruction and executed before they could do any more harm.

Thoughts like that kept Minako from losing too much sleep.

The impacts of each attack occurred at the exact same fraction of a second. There was an explosion of light as the monster within shrieked in pain. Then, after a few brief but agonizing moments, the scream suddenly stopped. When the dust cleared, Venus's beloved chain was holding on to nothing. She shrugged and with a casual flick of her wrist, the weapon dissolved once more.

Neptune was holding her bleeding arm, considering Venus with a rather odd expression. It was as if the violinist had just come to the realization that Venus actually did have the capacity to get something right and that she wasn't just a child with powers she couldn't hope to control.

Venus grinned back at the older girl, quite satisfied with herself.

"Guess that was a tough daimon, right?" Venus asked cheerfully, winking conspiratorially. "I mean if the great Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto couldn't do it without the assistance of the horribly insufficient Sailor Venus, it must have been the best the Deathbusters had to offer. Because heaven forbid us little Guardian Senshi be able to do anything of any consequence."

Neptune blinked, straightening at the sweet tone with such bitter words. Uranus sighed, resting her forehead in her palm while her other hand balled itself up into a fist at her side. Pluto just smiled slightly as always, revealing absolutely nothing about her inner workings.

It drove Venus positively mad!

"Well," Venus proclaimed, flipping her hair over her shoulder in a perfectly adorable and superior manner. "If you don't need me anymore, I think I'll be going now. Have a nice time stopping the Silence! Love to help, but I'm just a helpless little girl after all. See you later!"

The blonde turned on her heel and prepared to walk away, when she ran into something fairly solid. She looked up and was rather surprised to see Sailor Uranus standing in front of her, looking quite annoyed.

Venus squawked and leaned back to avoid crashing into the other Senshi even more. Unfortunately, gravity proved to be a vengeful force as she lost her balance and fell backwards, landing rather unceremoniously on her rear end. She flinched slightly as she landed directly on her tailbone. She glanced up at Sailor Uranus, glaring unabashedly.

"Ow."

Uranus grinned down at her, amused by her predicament. Venus's cheeks colored in embarrassment and irritation. The taller Senshi held out a scornful hand to help the younger girl to her feet. Naturally, Venus spurned the offer and stood on her own two feet, scowling at the other girl.

"I don't need any help from you," Venus informed her in a serious tone. "None of us do."

Neptune laughed, running her right hand through her luxuriously coifed locks. She glanced over at Venus as if she was some child whom she was humoring in order to keep her from throwing a tantrum. She shook her head slightly and said, "You do need our help, Venus. You would have been killed long ago had it not been for us."

Venus clenched her fists at her sides, setting her jaw into a painful frown. She didn't look at any one of them, instead choosing to glower at the ravaged ground beneath her feet. She was afraid of what their expressions would prompt her to do.

The three of them made her so angry. She and the others had been holding back their tempers for some time, but it was growing tiresome. On several occasions, Venus had almost been tempted to attack the three of them outright just to vent her own frustration. Of course, she never did. Usagi would never forgive her.

But then there were a lot of things Minako wouldn't do for Usagi's sake.

"If this is just another opportunity for you to put me down," Venus uttered coldly, "I would much rather leave. If you don't mind."

"No," the soothing alto voice of Sailor Pluto called out to them, bringing all attention onto her. "That isn't what this is about, Venus."

Venus furrowed her brow, gazing over at the seldom heard Guardian of Time. She rested one of her hands on her hip, a gesture of impatience. She raised an eyebrow and said, "Well, what do you want to talk about then? You wouldn't keep me behind to invite me over for a cup of tea."

"We've been watching you," Uranus claimed simply, walking past Venus to stand beside Sailor Neptune. She laid a hand on the wounded girl's shoulder and looked up at the gold warrior evenly. "We've noticed something about you."

Venus narrowed her eyes even more and straightened slightly. That was interesting. What could possibly be so intriguing about her that they would hold her behind to speak with her? And why had they been watching over her in the first place? It wasn't as if they cared for her well being. They had made that abundantly clear. So what could they gain from watching her?

Neptune folded her arms in front of her chest in a manner that was positively artful and uttered, "I have been paying attention most of all, Venus. As an artist, it is my sacred duty to see what others cannot. The slightest stiffening of a muscle. A fleeting change in expression. A hesitation gone unchecked by others. I see it all, and I remember it all."

Venus flushed again, wondered just where all of this was leading. They weren't making much sense, but then it seemed that these women failed to be direct when it came to certain things. "What are you getting at?"

"I was watching you," Neptune continued smoothly, "that day in the planetarium."

"You remember it?" Uranus asked needlessly.

Venus tapped a finger on her chin and pretended to mull it over in her mind. She wasn't sure where this was going, but she was quite sure she didn't like it. If she could lead them off the subject, perhaps they would let it drop and let her go. It had worked before, though not on them.

"Now let me see... Planetarium... Planetarium..." Venus muttered under her breath. "Was that the place where you tried to kill a pre-teen, because you know, that's actually a little fuzzy."

Uranus narrowed her eyes, clearly annoyed with the younger girl. She released Sailor Neptune's arm, preparing to come forward. However, her partner needed to only clear her throat delicately to make Sailor Uranus rethink her actions. She remained by her side, though she seemed poised to move at any given opportunity.

"That is not what we are concerned about," Pluto said, intervening with ease. She looked over at the stoic pair with a grave expression, needlessly giving them greater reason to stay back. Once satisfied that they were going to remain there for the time being, she Venus and said, "You were all defending Hotaru rather vehemently that day."

Perspiration dotted on Venus's brow, and her throat felt dry. She felt her posture stiffen, though she tried to stop it when she saw Neptune's scrutinizing gaze fall upon her.

So, that was what this was about? But she had been so sure that she had masked her true intentions. She had hesitated for only a fraction of a second, but none of the others had noticed. Then again, she hadn't been watching Neptune and the others. Now she wished that she had, though there wouldn't have been anything she could have done about it then.

Still, there was always a chance that she was jumping to conclusions. It wasn't as though the blonde was a stranger to such an occurrence. Maybe she was imagining things. Maybe they had taken her hesitation to mean something else. Maybe this wouldn't end as badly as the rapid beating of her heart seemed to anticipate.

The limber soldier took a deep, steadying breath and leveled her gaze at the three warriors. "She's just a child," Venus insisted coldly.

"She's deadly!" Uranus snapped. "She's the harbinger of the Silence!"

Neptune laid a relaxing hand on her partner's shoulder, reigning in Uranus's temper. The poised musician shook her head and whispered something that sounded like, "That isn't what this is about." Venus couldn't be sure as it was hard to hear.

"We noticed something," Pluto went on, not phased by the activity going on around her. "Or rather, Neptune did."

Venus swallowed the lump in her throat. She faced the three of them courageously in spite of how her legs twitched with the desire to flee. They couldn't know. They couldn't have seen past her carefully constructed façade. A crack had formed, but she had mended it in time. They didn't know. The other Senshi didn't know. Usagi, most of all, didn't know. And they couldn't know.

"What?" Venus croaked, fearful of the answer.

"Your heart wasn't in it," Neptune observed. "Not really."

Venus blinked in shock. She had almost expected this... Well, actually she had been in supreme denial of the inevitable, but even so. It was one thing to anticipate the words and another thing entirely to actually hear them said. The Soldier of Light shook her head passionately and insisted upon her convictions. "You don't know what's in my heart, Sailor Neptune!"

The girl pursed her lips slightly, as if she was containing the urge to smirk. However, she did allow a little laugh to escape her lips. "No, I don't know everything. But I know enough. Your comrades and you have a difference of opinion."

"No!" Venus shouted persistently. If she did not relent in her refusals, perhaps they would leave her alone. "Of course I meant it! Hotaru's just a little girl! She shouldn't have to die!"

"No," Uranus agreed, her voice startlingly tender. "She shouldn't."

Neptune gave her partner's shoulder an extra squeeze and picked up where her lover had left off. "But that doesn't change the fact that she has to. I know that your friends were insistent on there being another way, but... I wonder if you felt the same way as they did."

Venus nodded, though it wasn't nearly as forceful as she had originally intended it to be. "There should be another way."

"Yes," Neptune said with a smile. "There should."

"You were Sailor V for a long time," Uranus observed, echoing Minako's thoughts from earlier that day. "You fought on your own for nearly a year. You must have seen a lot."

Venus scoffed at her, turning her head once more. "What do you know about what I've seen? You couldn't even begin to imagine what I've seen." She clenched her fists at her side, once again becoming thoroughly engrossed with the ground she was standing on. Emotions were overtaking her once more as she thought back to that lonely, horrible time. She wouldn't let them see her weakness.

"You think that you've all seen so much…" Venus whispered softly, her throat threatening to close and completely silencing her. "But you haven't seen anything. You don't know..." She trailed off, too terrified to continue.

Pluto stepped forward, resting her staff on the ravaged ground. She tilted her head slightly, her eyes slanting even more inward. "I know what you've seen, Sailor Venus. As Time Guardian, it was my duty to watch you and ensure that everything went according to the plan laid out for you and the other Senshi. Everything fell into place, but it seems that you were forced to pay a heavy price."

Flashes of her older sister unknowingly betraying her heart and her first love ignorant of her desires filled her head, though Venus knew that wasn't what she was referring to. Then, other visions overtook her mind. Sights she had tried to forget played before her mind's eye. Within moments, thoughts of blood and screams and monsters begging for their lives as she rendered them to so much useless dust clouded her eyes. She blinked fiercely, and they retreated, their shadows remaining.

Venus looked up at Pluto and snapped, "I had no idea that Sailor Pluto was so voyeuristic. Perhaps it would have done us all some good if you had done more aside from sit back and watch the show?"

Uranus and Neptune appeared insulted by Venus's blunt assessment, but Pluto was not perturbed. She merely smiled and said, "You know better, Venus. My duty is to watch from behind the scenes whereas you steal the show. That is how it was dictated. I am only called to action in the most dire of circumstances. Besides, you were more than capable of handling what you faced."

Venus sniffed quietly, masking any unwanted emotions as she tilted her head up. She gazed at them evenly, willing her vehement sorrow to the back of her mind. She spoke with equal consistency, though she longed to scream. "But I'm not capable enough to face the oncoming Silence."

Pluto shook her head, looking a little sorry. But not much. "Not even you or Mars or Sailor Moon would have any chance against Its massive power."

Venus scoffed softly. "You claim to have seen so much. But you know nothing."

She turned to go then. She had no use for their speculations or empty words. Venus wanted nothing more than to forget this had ever happened and erase the memory of the coppery taste of blood in her mouth.

She was nearly gone from their midst when she paused once again by Neptune's call. "We know that you don't agree with the others."

Venus stopped, although she didn't know why.

"You would kill her," the graceful musician continued, her tone almost sympathetic yet stern. "You would kill her just as quickly as we would."

"Faster," Uranus added. "Your attacks move more swiftly than ours."

"No!" Venus screeched, whirling around to face them. Her outburst had taken them off guard, but that was of no consequence. She glared at them, water threatening to spill over onto her cheeks. She continued to fight against her tears, hoping that they didn't notice. "I would never hurt Hotaru! She's an innocent! She doesn't know what she's doing!"

"Venus," Pluto exclaimed firmly. "Don't lie to yourself. After all you've been through, after all you've seen, you understand. You understand that the world cannot be allowed to be destroyed because of your foolish leader's whims. You know that there is a price for freedom. And you will pay it no matter what Sailor Moon or the others want."

"I'm one of them," Venus refuted, her tone harsher than she intended. "I would never turn on them."

Uranus raised an eyebrow incredulously. "A difference of opinion is not a betrayal, Venus."

"This would be!" Venus cried, her resolve crumbling. She shut her eyes fiercely, wanting to curse as she felt hot liquid making their way down her cheekbones. Her shoulders stooped as she lost the will to fight. She would have fallen to her knees had the battle been more difficult, but as it stood, she saw no reason to. She balled her hand into a fist and rested her forehead against it, longing to rest and repress this experience.

But that was for later.

"You don't understand," Venus continued, her voice cracking. "Usagi... Usagi wants to save everyone. Her heart is just so big; she can't help but want to avoid sacrifice. Can you blame her?"

They didn't respond verbally, but Venus could tell that they followed her up to that point at least.

Venus took a deep breath, allowing her long hair to hide her face. "She doesn't see any other way. She can't even begin to comprehend the other point of view. She's... simple really. Not stupid, just single minded. She loves this world.

But she just... loves her friends more.

"If one of us dared to speak out against saving Hotaru for the sake of the world..." Venus shuddered, truly unsure of what the future queen would do. But something within her soul assured her that it would not be good for anyone involved. "I would never. It would be treason."

"But why?" Uranus questioned. "Why can't you at least bring up the possibility that-"

"Because we are supposed to fight for love and justice!" Venus interrupted, her emotions getting the best of her. She clutched at her heart and stared at the trio in desperation. Perhaps she wanted them to tell her that there really was another way out of this mess, though she knew it was foolish. But really she wanted comfort in knowing that someone else understood her position... and her silence. "You acknowledge that killing Hotaru for the sake of the world isn't fair. So you know! It isn't just! There is no love in slaughter!

"Usagi's very existence revolves around these truths... Ami and the others as well. They see everything through these rose colored glasses where if you just believe that everything will turn out all right, it will. 'If we work together, we can conquer anything!' 'If you just believe in yourself, you'll triumph!' 'Love conquers all!'"

Neptune furrowed her brow, inquisitive. "But you don't?"

Venus laughed mirthlessly, twirling the ends of her golden hair in her gloved hand. "It is a bitter irony, isn't it? The self proclaimed Goddess of Love doesn't believe that love conquers all. I used to. A long time ago... back in London. But perhaps I've seen too much to believe in that anymore."

The blonde trailed off, her voice growing distant as she gazed into a time far away from where they stood. She couldn't help but think back on it now, knowing that it was thanks to one day that she had thoughts such as these. She smiled bitterly, nostalgia overtaking her and bidding her mouth to speak although her brain ordered otherwise.

"You know, I remember the day when I stopped believing that. Well, I don't actually remember the date, but I know what happened," Venus admitted softly.

"It was a hostage situation," she explained, wondering why she was telling them anything. She suspected it was because Pluto already knew. No doubt the woman would reveal Venus's secrets to Uranus and Neptune soon enough. Better that it be told by the person it had happened to.

"This... well known underground criminal had been traced to his base. He was the head of a crime family that I'd been working to take down with Interpol. They were heavy into international smuggling along with a number of other things..."

Venus felt tears forming again, but this time, she didn't bother to stop them. "We burst in. It turned out that they had been expecting us. He had rigged up a bomb in case something like that happened. He got his associates out, but we were stuck.

"One of the officers... God, I never even knew his name... He... He decided to try and be heroic," Venus's voice choked with emotion. Not even Artemis knew about this. Then again, there were a lot of things that Artemis still didn't know about their time in London.

"He tried to get to the bomb. But the criminal, he saw him move in. He grabbed him and held a gun to his temple, saying that he would shoot the officer if anyone else made a move to disengage the bomb. We had less than one minute to live."

Venus shook her head, trying to will the man's terrified face out of her mind. She didn't remember it as clearly as she thought. She no longer knew if the man had been blond or dark haired or if he had had green eyes or blue. He could have been slight or muscular or somewhere in between. She couldn't remember a single distinguishing feature.

But she remembered the way he had looked at her. He knew that she had the power to save him. If she could move fast enough, she could get a clear shot and take the criminal down without a second thought. But as it stood, the Interpol officer had obscured her aim, and the slightest movement could send the gunmen off. Not to mention, she had to worry about everyone else in the building where the bomb was concerned. And she only had ten seconds to decide... nine... eight... seven...

"I didn't have a choice," Venus maintained with almost silent intensity. "I had to do what I did."

Venus saw herself as Sailor V, dressed in a mockery of the fuku Sailor Moon sported. She shot the man an apologetic look and dashed forward to the bomb. She heard the gun go off behind her, and a body drop with six... five seconds to go.

She didn't cry. She didn't let herself even acknowledge that everyone was screaming and there were guns firing all around her. She didn't hear anyone curse her name as she leapt upwards towards an open window with four... three seconds left on the clock.

Sailor V had tossed the small bomb up into the air while she surged upwards. It flew high above the earth as it counted down the final seconds. It detonated above her head, the fiery force bearing down on. She was blasted back to the ground, expecting someone to come to her aid.

She lay there for a very long time.

"No one trusted me at Interpol except for Big Sister after that," Venus finished, feeling just as wretched at that moment as she had two years earlier. "Because of my actions, I had saved over thirty men... but I had let one man die, and I could not be forgiven."

Venus sniffed again, looking away from the three. She thought she had seen sympathetic looks pass over the faces of Neptune and Uranus. It wasn't becoming. She preferred when they were unfeeling.

"So yes," Venus continued in a voice that was almost inaudible. "I do know what it means to sacrifice one for the good of many. I have done it. It haunts me... But I did what I had to do."

"But the others," Uranus mused softly, "they wouldn't understand?"

Venus shook her head definitively. "Never. They will stop at nothing to ensure that the world is saved WITHOUT sacrificing Hotaru."

"But why!" Sailor Uranus raged, bringing one fist down upon her palm. "We've told them that there isn't any other way! Do they think that we want to kill a little girl!"

Venus sighed softly and uttered, "No, not at all. It's just... They don't believe you. Usagi more than the others. And where Usagi goes, so goes Rei and Mamoru and the rest.

"It's partially my fault, I suppose. In the final battle against the Dark Kingdom one year ago, Rei and Mako and Ami and I all walked to our deaths for her sake. We were martyrs for the Moon Kingdom and Usagi... Maybe she hasn't ever recovered from that."

Pluto somehow drew attention back onto herself without making a single movement or noise to do so before she began to speak. "Do not credit yourself so much, Sailor Venus. Even without that, she would feel the same way. She is just that kind of girl, as you said."

"Foolishness," Neptune muttered in frustration.

Venus shook her head softly, refuting the assessment. "No... It's hope."

A profound silence fell over the group then as the final word rang in their ears. For the first time, Uranus and the rest finally felt as if they understood Sailor Moon and her Senshi... And Venus finally felt like someone understood her motives.

It was a small comfort in the face of the oncoming apocalypse.

"Venus," Pluto called out, shattering the silence. "You say that you do not speak up for fear of angering Sailor Moon and the others... Would that fear prevent you from action?"

The blonde blinked in surprise, as she had not expected the conversation to take this turn. In retrospect, she realized that she should have. Where else could they have been leading to? It wasn't as if they were interested in her personal life.

Still, her hesitation was only momentary. Though she hadn't considered this before, as she too held out hope for an alternative, she knew her course instantly. It was, after all, her duty.

"Rest assured," Venus told them in a heartfelt, saddened, determined tone of voice. "If the end comes and I see no other way to save this planet... I will do what needs to be done."

The three Senshi opposite her smiled in relief, and Venus's stomach turned. Before anything else could be said on this gruesome subject, the orange clad soldier made to leave, quickly realizing that she could not forget this promise.

"And Minako?"

Venus turned one final time at the sound of her given name, rather surprised that she had been called back yet again. She arched a perfectly sculpted eyebrow and queried, "What is it, Uranus?"

The navy clad Senshi folded her arms across her chest and smirked, although Venus could tell that there was no joy in it. "Don't ever call me a lady again. It pisses me off."

Venus blinked several times and then giggled quietly at the joke in spite of it all. She waved, though she wasn't at all sad to leave them. Then she walked off the roof, landing unharmed on the streets below.

Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto remained there for a short time, staring at the empty space that Sailor Venus had occupied only a few seconds before. After a time, Uranus let out a puff of air, scratching the back of her head. "There's still one thing I don't understand... Why would she go to that much trouble to retain Usagi's and the others' favor?"

Neptune's eyes sparkled in the heat of the afternoon sun. She gazed up at her lover, intertwining her wounded arm with Uranus's. She smiled at the odd look that the blonde wind Senshi gave her and said, "She was alone for a long time. I think that she'd do anything to hold onto her friends after that."

Uranus blinked, her mouth hanging slightly agape. It didn't take her very long at all to realize the subtext behind Neptune's words. She laid a gentle kiss on the smaller woman's brow, knowing that Pluto did not mind their affections.

"Yes," Uranus said softly. "She would, wouldn't she?"

* * *

(C) Sailor Moon is property of several companies and conglomerates including but not limited to Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation, Bandai, Kodansha, TV Ayashi, DiC, Cloverway, and others. Absolutely no money is being made from this story, so please do not sue this penniless actress. 


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